Becerra’s ‘sanctuary’ play

BECERRA’S ‘SANCTUARY’ PLAY: California Attorney General Xavier Becerra issued guidance Wednesday to California law enforcement agencies clarifying their responsibilities under the state’s “sanctuary” laws. In a nine-page document, Becerra emphasized that California law enforcement agencies should not serve as immigration agents — an idea reinforced by provisions in three laws passed last year.

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Those three state measuresdo not stop California authorities from sharing information about an individual’s immigration status, Becerra wrote. That’s a point of contention in the lawsuit that the Justice Department filed against the state earlier this month. DOJ argues that the three California laws violate the Constitution’s supremacy clause and also a federal statute that requires information-sharing on immigration status. “We’re in the business of public safety, not deportation,” Becerra said in a written statement. The California attorney general’s office also published guidance about statistical reporting requirements under the laws.

The announcement follows the Orange County Board of Supervisors’ decision Tuesday to join the administration’s legal challenge to the trio of sanctuary laws. President Donald Trump embraced the move in a pair of tweets Wednesday. “My Administration stands in solidarity with the brave citizens in Orange County defending their rights against California's illegal and unconstitutional Sanctuary policies,” he wrote. “California's Sanctuary laws … release known dangerous criminals into communities across the State. All citizens have the right to be protected by Federal law and strong borders.”

If California is the heart of the Trump resistance, Orange County is an island of MAGA loyalism. Although not quite the conservative stronghold it was in the 1960s and 1970s, Orange County is still predominantly Republican, with a 41 percent plurality white non-Hispanic, 34 percent Hispanic, and 2 percent black. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday it would publicly list inmate-release dates — a way to undermine the California Values Act, CA SB54 (17R). “A provision in the law allows for the release dates to be handed over if the information is made public,” the Washington Post’s Alex Horton reports. The sheriff’s department released a statement that said the move would “enhance communication between the [department] and our law enforcement partners to remove dangerous offenders from our community.” Read more from the Post here.

FARM BILL’S WORK REQUIREMENTS: The draft text for the latest farm bill reportedly includes stricter work requirements for millions of Americans — threatening to kill Democratic support and derail the bill entirely, POLITICO’s Helena Bottemiller Evich and Catherine Boudreau write. “The details of the SNAP proposal remain very much under wraps, but Democratic staff members told reporters Tuesday that the bill would impose stricter work requirements on as many as 5 million of the 42 million Americans who rely on the program,” report Bottemiller Evich and Boudreau. If that’s the case, the bill “would mostly target able-bodied adults without children, as well as millions of school-age parents who are currently exempt in many states.”

“Able-bodied adults without children or other dependents are already required to participate in a training program for 20 hours per week or to work to keep their SNAP benefits longer than three months over a three-year period,” POLITICO reports. “However, states largely exempted participants from those time limits during the Great Recession. The exemptions have started to phase out as the economy recovers, but more than a third of the U.S. population still live in areas where they’re in place.”

Democrats said the move would slash $20 billion in government spending over the next decade but create $13 billion in new administrative costs. In addition, they said the stricter work requirements would push one million people off food stamps. Republicans, however, argued that the information Democrats shared isn’t final. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-Texas) said earlier this month that “not one” person would be forced off because of work requirements. More here.

DEMOCRATS FILIBUSTER HOUSE ADA BILL: Forty-three Democratic senators formed a filibuster-proof bloc against changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act that were passed by the House last month. In a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Wednesday night, the Democrats vowed the bill “will never receive a vote in the United States Senate during the 115th Congress.” The legislation, H.R. 620 (115), would bar a disabled individual from taking legal action against a business with a physical barrier to access without a written legal notice. Businesses would have 60 days to respond and an additional 120 days to make substantial progress on addressing the complaint.

Senate Democrats called the legislation “discriminatory” and said it would “weaken federal protections for an entire class of Americans.” The House bill passed 225 to 192 in February, but not before disability rights activists disrupted the proceedings. Capitol Police were forced to remove protesters chanting “Hands off ADA” as the chamber moved to a final vote. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), herself a disabled combat veteran, spearheaded the letter. Read it here.

ACOSTA AS ATTORNEY GENERAL?: President Trump fired Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin on Wednesday, the latest of nearly two dozen administration officials to depart since January 2017. In a story published Tuesday evening, the Washington Post offered insight into Trump’s mercurial approach to staff management — and also noted the president had considered Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta for a new gig.

“Trump will see a segment on TV and begin musing for someone in a job, creating uncertainty,” write Lisa Rein, Josh Dawsey and Emily Wax-Thibodeaux. “For example, he saw Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta on ‘Fox & Friends’ one morning and asked an aide if he could be the next attorney general. The president has, for months, attacked Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has so far survived the public belittling.”

Could Acosta take the reins at the DOJ? In Trumpworld, anything is possible, but there’s good reason to restrain speculation. “Whether Trump was ever truly considering Acosta as attorney general is unclear,” the Post reports. “He will sometimes ask about five or 10 names a day for different jobs.” More here.

TIP TIFF IN NEW YORK: A pro-tipping restaurant organization attacked supporters of a plan by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to end the state’s lower tipped wage. “Thank you for your concern. But we don’t need your help, and we’re not asking to be saved,” said the Restaurant Workers of America, a group that opposes ending tip credits. The group was responding to a letter sent last week by 16 prominent film and TV actresses (including Jane Fonda, Reese Witherspoon, and Natalie Portman) that urged Cuomo to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers. The letter said that tipping results in higher rates of sexual harassment in the restaurant industry.

But the RWA contends the actresses were “misled” by the Restaurant Opportunities Center United, a worker advocacy organization, into believing restaurant workers are “helpless victims of sexual harassment.” ROC United President Saru Jayaraman accused the RWA of being backed by the National Restaurant Association, and pledged to furnish proof next month. But both the National Restaurant Association and Restaurant Workers of America denied any financial ties between the two organizations. “Once again ROC is wrong. … The National Restaurant Association has never made financial contributions to Restaurant Workers of America,” said Cicely Simpson, a spokesperson for the National Restaurant Association.

U MICHIGAN: STRIKE WOULD VIOLATE STATE LAW: The University of Michigan said a strike by its lecturers would violate both state law and “no strike” clauses in their contracts. The union that represents lecturers voted to authorize a strike Wednesday, with 80 percent in favor. Union leaders said they would return to the bargaining table and call a strike only if there’s a breakdown in talks set to continue through next week. UM lecturers seek a 74 percent increase in the lecturer starting salary at the university’s Ann Arbor campus; a 98 percent increase at its Dearborn campus; and a 105 percent increase at the Flint campus. A university spokesperson argued a strike would negatively affect students “at a critical time near the end of the academic year.” More here.

“The House approved its own revamp of Congress' system for handling harassment and discrimination on the job last month, and negotiators in both parties had come close to attaching a bipartisan, bicameral deal to the government spending package that [Trump] signed last week,” writes Schor. “But that momentum fizzled last week amid a dispute over whether to keep House-passed language holding lawmakers personally liable for discrimination settlements tied to their behavior, as well as harassment claims.”

Speier pushes Farenthold to cover costs: Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) earlier this month called on House Speaker Paul Ryan to make Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) repay an $84,000 sexual harassment settlement that came from a taxpayer-backed fund, CNN’s Sunlen Serfaty reports. Farenthold hasn’t repaid the money, even though he pledged as much in December. More here.

AMAZON MOPS FLOORS: The mega-retailer Amazon will again seek to gain a foothold in the housekeeping industry, Bloomberg Technology’s Spencer Soper and Josh Eidelson report. Amazon created a marketplace with independent contractors three years ago, the pair report, but now the company has hired housekeepers in the Seattle area as direct employees. “The online retailer is swapping the low cost of contract workers for the greater control of employing its own people,” Bloomberg reports. “Doing so puts it on the hook for things like minimum wage, workers compensation and overtime pay. But it also lets Amazon determine how the workers are trained, which cleaning products they use, and how they organize their schedules.” More here.

CHC TO HOMAN: BACK OFF WORKSITES: Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Wednesday urged top ICE official Thomas Homan to de-prioritize immigration enforcement against worksites. In a letter led by Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.), the lawmakers argued that an increased focus on businesses will drive undocumented immigrants further underground and hurt the economy. Homan said in October that he would step up worksite enforcement “four to five times” the levels in the previous year. Read the letter here.

CUNY FOOD WORKERS AIR COMPLAINTS: Food workers that serve students at the City University of New York system reported low wages, failure to receive overtime, and dangerous working conditions in a survey released Wednesday, David Chen reports in the New York Times. “Conducted by the Retail Action Project, a community organizing group co-founded by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, the survey of more than 110 people on 14 campuses — or one-quarter of all CUNY food service workers — reported numerous instances of what it says are workers being served ‘a steady diet of low wages, few benefits, precarious schedules and labor violations.’” More here.

TRUMP GETS HIS GROWTH: “The U.S. economy expanded at a rate of 2.9 percent in the fourth quarter, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday, much better than Wall Street analysts expected and very close to President Trump's goal of 3 percent growth,” Heather Long reports in the Washington Post. “The strong growth came largely from Americans opening their wallets to spend more. Consumption accounts for about 70 percent of the U.S. economy, and as more Americans get jobs, they are able to buy more online and at stores.” More here.

NYT SHARES DIVERSITY DATA: The New York Times has achieved near gender parity among its employees but still lags behind in minority hiring, according to data released Wednesday by the company. The data show people of color make up 28 percent of the company’s overall employees and 20 percent of leadership. In the news and opinion departments, people of color make up 23 percent of the staff and 19 percent of leadership.

“Journalism as an industry has long been disproportionately white and male. And the high-pressure, competitive nature of our business does not naturally lead to a welcoming workplace,” the Times said in a statement. “Many of the numbers are moving in the right direction — though not far enough or fast enough.” More here.

KEEP ON TRUCKIN’: “Wages and benefits for truck drivers are rising in the U.S. as tight freight-hauling capacity falls short of surging demand,” Erica Phillips reports in the Wall Street Journal. “The American Trucking Associations, a trade group that represents fleet owners, said annual truck-driver salaries rose between 15 percent and 18 percent from 2013 to 2017, with growth varying based on the type of fleet and the nature of the routes.” More here.

RETIREMENT GROUP PRESIDENT TO RETIRE: Cathy Weatherford, president of the Insured Retirement Institute, will retire effective Dec. 31, the trade association announced on Wednesday. The organization, which lauded her “outstanding track record” in the past nine years, is currently searching for a replacement. More here.

COFFEE BREAK:

—“Trump proposal would penalize immigrants who use tax credits and other benefits,” from the Washington Post

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About The Author : Ted Hesson

Ted Hesson is an employment and immigration reporter with POLITICO Pro.

Prior to joining POLITICO in October 2016, Hesson spent more than a decade as a writer and editor with a focus on immigration policy. His work has appeared in National Journal, The Atlantic and VICE, among other outlets.

From 2012 to 2015, he worked as immigration editor at Fusion, a joint venture of ABC News and Univision.

Hesson holds a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, he lived in New York City before relocating to Washington, D.C.

In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar, listening to podcasts and practicing Spanish.